DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD. PENSIVE.

Written By Clare Kunny

SCULPTURE OF A NOBLE ANIMAL.

Look to the central lawn to find a large 4-legged creature with its neck and head arching toward the ground. Move close to the sculpture to identify the animal it represents and to get a sense of its size. Look carefully and touch the outlines of the sculpture. Yes, it’s a horse, a good-sized one with withers and rump 6 feet and 6 inches tall. The life-sized horse stands squarely on the ground with its weight evenly balanced on all 4 legs.  

Sturdy though the horse is, it isn’t solid. Move your hands in and around the body of the horse. What is it made of?

It appears to be made of branches and sticks. The model for this sculpture was made of branches and sticks found in the fields around the home and studio of artist Deborah Butterfield. Now cast in bronze, this horse can graze on the lawn in the rain, hot sun, and cool breezes of Southern California.

BEHIND THE SCENES.

The artist has spent a lot of time around horses, she rode them and made drawings of them as a young girl. Then as an adult, when she refined her art practice, Deborah Butterfield rented a horse farm and began making sculptures of these noble animals. It seems the artist made a horse skeleton with branches, but the sculpture exudes a living presence.

SPARK A CONVERSATION.

  • What is the mood of this horse?

  • Based on the mood of the animal, what would you name it? (Note: the artist named this sculpture Pensive.)

  • Can you count how many branches make this life-sized horse? 

  • Instead of counting, can you sketch the horse?

Clare Kunny https://www.artmusela.com
Next

claire falkenstein. point as a set no. 25.